The present invention relates to water jet cutting machines and, more particularly, to such machines having a movable collector for the water jet fluid which may be flushed of abrasive.
It is generally known to catch the residual water jet of a water jet cutting system in a water filled catcher or pan of adequate depth. Line catchers used for this purpose have an effective height which is reduced by a deflecting plate on the bottom of the catcher. A stream of water flows over this deflecting plate and flushes out from the catcher the abrasive and residue cut from the parts (EP 0270364).
Dry catchers filled with balls are also known. Here, the penetrating residual water jet sets the balls in motion and the fluid drains through an opening on the bottom. The drain can also be put on the side of the catcher so that the catcher is being filled with fluid up to the drain. This catcher seems to be less suitable for catching a water jet which utilizes an abrasive (EP 0208038).
A line catcher shown in EP 0319143; it is formed in U-shaped configuration of a flexible material and is placed under the cutting jet and filled with chilled filling material.
Area catchers in pan-form are also known. Above the bottom of the pan, which carries a deflection plate, is a bed of honeycomb material, and tilted deflecting plates are installed under the bed for deflecting or diverting the residual water jet. This dry catcher also seems to be less suitable for working with a water jet to which abrasive has been added (OS 2813498).
It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel water jet cutting machine having a novel moving collector which is readily purged of abrasive and cutting residue.
It is also an object to provide such a machine in which a collector is moved synchronously with the water jet cutting head.
Another object is to provide such a machine in which the water used in the cutting operation is recycled to flush the abrasive into a collection point from which it is transported to a settling tank.